Plans to make town market place more pedestrian friendly
PEDESTRIANISING the majority of the Market Place in Ashbourne has taken a further step forward following a recent full town council meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, councillors were sent a plan of how the Market Place could look after pedestrianisation and which was added as a late item.
It shows a much reduced parking area on the side of the Market Place nearest to the A515, with an entrance off the road and exit via a delivery service road on the north-western side of the area.
There are two designated disabled parking spaces, together with a series of planters around the perimeter.
The rest of the Market Place area is given over to open space and pedestrianisation.
The plan, titled Proposed Market Place Layout, has been drawn up by AJS Structural Design, based in Uttoxeter, on behalf of Derbyshire Dales District Council.
The meeting heard that the district council was looking for an agreement in principle that the town council wants to take the pedestrianisation proposal forward, which Ashbourne councillors had origi
nally written to the district council about as a suggestion in July.
Councillor Andrew White queried whether the plan was meant to represent the final Market Place layout and suggested that shop, pub and club owners would want to have a say in what happens. He also queried who would be responsible for licensing traders, entertainers and leisure operators to use the area.
Mr White was reassured by assistant town clerk Sam Higton that a consultation before any made.
Councillor Sue Hodgson said she wanted to know who would be paying for the work to be done, although no clear answer was forthcoming during the discussion and no costs for the project were available.
Councillor Sue Bull, who is also district ward councillor for Ashbourne North, said it was a case of putting suggestions forward to the would take place final decisions were district council. She said: “This is an opportunity to provide entertainment on the Market Place or do what we want to do. The principle for pedestrianisation is there if we want to agree with it. We should have more input into what we want and everyone involved should have a say.
“The plan as it stands is not a done deal but it would be good to have the Market Place back as a community area.”
Councillor Ann Smith said she proposed that the idea went forward in principle and chairman Councillor Sean Clayton added that he always wanted to see it pedestrianised along with many other people.
It was agreed that the town council should notify the district council of its willingness to move the project forward.
In July, at a meeting of the town council’s environment meeting, chair Councillor Caroline Cooper asked for ideas for the use of the Market Place “under social distancing measures”.
During that meeting, Councillor Sean Clayton proposed contacting the district council to request that the Market Place was pedestrianised to allow the businesses to have outdoor seating under a “pavement licence”, which could potentially help with the “bounce back” during Covid-19.
At the July meeting, the town council resolved to contact the district council regarding pedestrianising the lower half of the Market Place and prohibiting cars parking.
Despite originally citing social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to writing to the district council in July, the town councillors were anxious to make it clear at the full council meeting that if pedestrianisation went ahead it was “not because of Covid-19”.